Vulnerability Description
Nimiq is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. Prior to 1.6.0, a malicious state-sync peer can crash a syncing node by sending a crafted TrieChunk proof containing two TrieProofNode values with identical keys. TrieProof::verify calls TrieProofNode::child_index in primitives/src/trie/trie_proof_node.rs, where is_prefix_of accepts equal keys and KeyNibbles::get is called at the key length, returns None, and is unconditionally unwrapped. Untrusted ResponseChunk data reaches commit_chunks, put_chunk, and proof.verify before cryptographic proof validation, so the attacker does not need a valid proof. Exploitation requires the attacker to be selected as the victim's sync peer during state sync, and the resulting panic is transient because the node restarts and resynchronizes. This issue is fixed in version 1.6.0.
CVSS Score
LOW
Related Weaknesses (CWE)
References
- https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/commit/41d35acee1b5cf3bc34ec3ddc1abbc
- https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/pull/3789
- https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/releases/tag/v1.6.0
- https://github.com/nimiq/core-rs-albatross/security/advisories/GHSA-46wq-28cx-mh
FAQ
What is CVE-2026-54541?
CVE-2026-54541 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 3.7 (LOW). Nimiq is a Rust implementation of the Nimiq Proof-of-Stake protocol based on the Albatross consensus algorithm. Prior to 1.6.0, a malicious state-sync peer can crash a syncing node by sending a crafte...
How severe is CVE-2026-54541?
CVE-2026-54541 has been rated LOW with a CVSS base score of 3.7/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.
Is there a patch for CVE-2026-54541?
Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Review vendor security bulletins for remediation guidance.